October 2006 Volume 9 Number 4

offer criticisms. The teachers in the control group choose lecturing as their main strategy, with only key lecture
points of the unit listed on their teaching plans. No other methods are mentioned in their teaching plans, nor were
worksheets developed to supplement the lecture.
Coordination, coherence, and creativity among teaching plans and materials
With respect to the coordination between teaching plan and teaching materials, as well as the coherence of the
teaching materials, the experts’ ratings for the two groups show a marginal significance (U = 2, p = 0.057). This
suggests that the experimental group shows greater coordination between the supplementary information
collected, activity plans, learning worksheets, and Web pages developed using the system. For overall creativity
of teaching materials, experts’ ratings show a statistically significant difference (U = 0, p = 0.014), indicating
that the experimental group demonstrated more creativity than the control group when given the same amount of
preparation time and teaching content.
Table 5 lists the supplementary materials, the content of the teaching plan and learning worksheet, and the major
headings of the Web page produced by teacher B. As the table shows, teacher B adopted direct lecturing and
guided discussion as his main strategy in the teaching plan, which was developed by incorporating the
information gathered from the Web with the textbook content (e.g., a unit about Chen-Ho’s voyage to the west in
the textbook and the materials about Chen-Ho on the Web). The order and content of the lecture are closely
related to the supplementary material the teacher has prepared. Also, teacher B’s learning worksheet is
significantly related to the supplementary material and the progress of discussion and lecture. For example,
teacher B used the question “Did Chen Ho’s boats reach Africa?” which is an issue currently being debated by
historians. Other teachers in the experimental group showed similar features with their instructional materials.
The control group not only failed to produce learning worksheets, but the information they gathered show no
direct relation to the lecture outline in their teaching plans. As can be seen from Table 4, the data collected on
“public flogging at court with clubs,” a unique punishment during the Ming Dynasty, by teacher F are absent
from the key points in his outline. The supplementary material provided by teacher F is not organized for the
purpose of teaching, but rather is presented to students in its original form, which is complicated and somewhat
inconsistent with the entire teaching plan.
Table 4. Information collected and planned teaching strategies by participants
Teacher Information gathered from the Web Activities or strategies suggested in the teaching
plan and worksheets
A 1. Six relevant pictures.
2. Supplementary information on the maritime expeditions
of Cheng Ho (his life story, stories of his voyages,
relevant websites, historical sites and information left
from his journeys).
3. Introductory information on Islam.
B 1. Six relevant pictures.
2. Stories about the founder of the Ming Dynasty, Tai-tsu,
on his founding of a new dynasty, political contributions,
and problematic policies.
3. Supplementary information on the Jing Nan Rebellion
and the contributions of the succeeding Emperor Chen
after the rebellion.
4. Supplementary information on the reforms by Chief
Minister Chang Chu-cheng.
5. Information on Tung-lin Partisan Disputes and the
analysis of causes for the decline of the Ming Dynasty.
6. Supplementary information, relevant websites, and
archeological materials on Cheng Ho’s voyages west.
C 1. Four relevant pictures.
2. Supplementary information on Cheng Ho’s voyages to
the West (his life story, uniqueness of his expeditions).
D 1. Two relevant pictures.
2. The background of the founding Emperor Chu Yuanchang,
his rise and important measures at the beginning
Uses lectures as the main thread and supplements
it with a self-designed learning worksheet, and
employs a light, everyday theme of “Overseas
Tour Guide of the Ming Dynasty” to introduce the
supplementary materials of the unit.
Uses lectures as the main strategy, coupled with
much elaborate and broad-ranging supplementary
information. Prior to the introduction of the theme
of the lesson, the teacher poses proper questions to
elicit students’ responses and stimulate their
thinking as part of his effort to raise students’
motivation. The learning worksheet provides
students with questions that help them to review
the lesson, and to think and reason.
Uses lectures as the main thread and supplements
it with a map in the learning worksheet. The
teacher attempts to help students brainstorm for
ideas regarding Cheng Ho’s maritime voyages by
comparing the two great geographical discoveries
of the East and West in human history.
Uses lectures as the main thread and allows
students to express their own views and judgments
about historical figures before the conclusion of
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